U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has raised alarms regarding the actions of Illinois officials, who have been releasing violent criminal illegal aliens despite active immigration detainers. ICE warns that this practice poses a significant risk to public safety.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Todd Lyons, the senior official carrying out the duties of ICE director, expressed grave concern over the situation in Illinois. He highlighted that the state is currently holding “tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens” in custody. These individuals, Lyons noted, have been involved in serious offenses, including murder, rape, child pornography, and armed robbery.
Lyons argued that these offenders “should be swiftly removed from the United States and not be allowed to return to our streets, where they could potentially endanger law-abiding citizens.”
ICE has pointed to several instances where Illinois agencies have failed to comply with immigration detainers, leading to the release of offenders who were subsequently apprehended or removed by ICE. Notable cases include Alfonso Batalla Garcia, who was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated kidnapping, and Leonardo Ignot-Osto, a repeat offender with convictions for child abduction. Other individuals include Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia, and Jaime Mandujano-Nunez, all with serious criminal records ranging from DUIs to predatory sexual assault.
Statistics from ICE reveal that since January 2025, Illinois has released 1,768 criminal aliens with active detainers. The offenses committed by these individuals involve homicides, assaults, burglaries, weapons violations, and sexually predatory crimes.
The situation has drawn significant attention, as ICE emphasizes that the release of these offenders with active detainers undermines public safety. The agency insists that such actions increase the risk faced by communities across the state.
The agency also said another 4,015 criminal aliens with pending detainers remain in state or local custody, including individuals linked to 51 homicides and more than 800 sexual-predatory offenses.
ICE provided a list of some of the detainers that were not honored, requiring federal officers to track down offenders after their release.
They include Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia, convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping; Juan Morales Martinez, tied to a fatal vehicle crash; and Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault. In each case, ICE says local agencies failed to notify the agency before releasing the individuals.
Some of the other cases cited by ICE involve offenders convicted of child abduction, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping.
The Illinois General Assembly. (iStock)
Some of the offenders were later re-arrested or removed from the United States by ICE, according to the documents.
Lyons cautioned that Illinois’ ongoing refusal to honor immigration detainers “plainly jeopardizes public safety” and asked if the state intends to change course or continue releasing violent offenders who may otherwise “walk the streets of Illinois again.”
